The Nuzlocke Realm
by Destined Meltdowns
Summary: A mysterious figure named Buryman invites twelve of the world's best trainers into a strange place called the Nuzlocke Realm. This realm redefines everything they know; each Pokemon that faints dies. As Red travels further throughout this realm, however, he starts to trust Buryman less and less and begins to question the real reason he was chosen to play in this sick game.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm really excited about this fic. It's my first multi-chapter Pokemon FanFiction but my mind's been racing about this idea for ages and I have to get it up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but when my plan to genetically cross-breed turtles and trees to make Turtwigs unfolds, I w-, uh, I mean, Nintendo does...**

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><p>Every single Pokémon trainer wants to be a master. That's our purpose. We battle others, get stronger, challenge the gyms, challenge the Elite Four, and challenge the Champion. No one had beaten all five regions, and the first person to do so would be deemed a Pokémon master…until I came along.<p>

I am a Pokémon master – the one and only.

I remember being younger; all I wanted in the world was to be a master. I was a stupid kid back then. When I started my journey, I was only eleven, and everyone in Pallet Town scoffed at me, saying 'The only kid who'll ever become a master so young is Blue!' Oh, how I hated Blue back then. With his snarky team and ego bigger than his head, it was hard to like the guy. No matter how many times I beat his stupid team, he was still convinced that he was the best.

But I'm getting off topic. This is not what you're here to hear. The whole 'incident' began when I was thirteen, when I was on my way to Victory Road.

"Can you believe it, Pikachu?" I breathed. "We're almost ready to face the Elite Four!" Pikachu happily let out a "Pika Pi!" and nuzzled my sneaker. _You're almost there, Red,_ I thought proudly. _You're just one step closer to becoming a Pokémon master._

A Cool Trainer caught my eye and grinned. "Hey, kid," he called. "Let's battle."

I knocked out all six Pokémon with ease. It was a cakewalk, really. The stunned Cool Trainer could only stare helplessly as I collected my prize money and went on my merry way down the route. That was when things took a turn for the unexpected.

Pikachu and I were suddenly stopped in midair by a floating hand. It was wearing a black glove, completely covering it. I skidded backwards, jumping from being startled and fear. "Pikachu, Thunder-" The hand cut me off and made a 'stop' gesture. I froze in place as it pointed its finger and started drawing letters in the air. The writing was shaky, but it was legible. "Do you want to be…" it began, "A Pokémon master?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked out loud before warily glancing around. No one else was near, which was good, because they would probably think that I was going crazy. Talking to a floating hand…

But it responded. "I can take you on a journey where only the best can win. You are an extremely tough kid; I can tell. Won't you join me in the Nuzlocke Realm?"

"I still don't get your point," I said flatly, crossing my arms.

"Ah, there always must be a prize," the hand mused in the writing. "You see, if you manage to win this game, you may earn one wish, catch free."

I couldn't help but smile. One wish. I could wish to become a Pokémon master! Everyone would practically worship me, even stupid Blue.

"I'll do it," I said definitely. Another hand suddenly appeared behind the one that had confronted me and made a slashing motion. The entire fabric of space ripped in front of me, revealing a swirling dimension. "Pikachu, return," I whispered, sending it back in its Poke Ball.

The two hands hoisted me up under my armpits and began to float. We entered the 'portal,' if you will; the world around me completely changed. I left the sunny route and was now inside a dark land. The entire world around me was different shades of green with floating platforms of land and floating purple doors. I had no idea where I was and started to have a bad feeling about this ominous world. Things went even further downhill from there. The black gloves covering the hands began to simply melt away, revealing what was underneath. I understood why these hands wore gloves. Each was pale white, like a ghost, and was shriveled to the bone. Tendons and flesh were hanging from each one of them in grotesque detail. It took all my self-control to stifle a scream.

After what seemed like floating for miles and miles, we reached a fairly large, circular platform. The ground was sleek metal and had twelve plates forming a circle. I could see other Pokémon trainers standing on them. There was a boy with a black and yellow hat, a girl with a poofy, brown ponytail and shorts with pockets hanging out. They all had an air of toughness almost radiating from them. I could tell. They placed me down next to a boy with shoulder-length, red hair. He didn't even look at me – merely kept his fixed, stony gaze ahead at the center of the circles. The last person to be carried in made my blood boil: Blue, landing on the plate on my left. I couldn't believe that Blue, of all people, had made it here, of all places. He smirked confidently, I guess trying to appear unfazed by the apprehension the place gave off, and nodded. "Long time, no see, Red." I rolled my eyes and tried to be like the red-haired boy and stared at the center of the platform.

In the middle stood a desk. There was a man at the desk, though I couldn't see him well. He wore a black hat, tipped way down so it covered his face, and a long, black trench coat.

"Hello children," he said, voice raspy and like sandpaper. It made me cringe and clench my fists. "You have all been selected to participate in the Nuzlocke Game. Your outstanding trainer abilities all qualify you as worthy competitors."

Blue smirked. I could already see his ego inflating another five times.

That was when the music began. Four beats began to play. I- I don't know how to describe it to you, but it was like- 1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest – 1 2 4 3 1 2 4 3. The ominous beats played over and over while a robotic, eight-bit tune sounded over the beats. The red-haired boy murmured, "Binaural beats," though I had no idea what the heck he was talking about.

Someone began to speak over the words. The voice matched the one of the man's, though it was visible he wasn't speaking.

_The Nuzlocke Realm_

_The Nuzlocke Realm_

_It'll make your life a living hell!_

_Instead of fainting,_

_Pokémon die!_

_Hush, now child!_

_And don't cry!_

_The Nuzlocke Game!_

_The Nuzlocke Game!_

_The craziest world, _

_It'll drive you insane!_

_So take a deep breath and stand up strong,_

_You won't be with us very long!_

The 'binaural beats,' as the boy had called them, faded to a close. A girl with a green bandana was clutching her nose; I could see blood coating her fingers. Had the song caused her nose to bleed? No, that was a stupid idea.

"I will now explain the rules," the man said. "First of all, Pokémon in this world do not faint. If your Pokémon is knocked out, they are dead."

This caused almost everyone including me to gasp. I couldn't believe that some universe's rules forced Pokémon to die. I mean, when you thought about it, it made sense in a twisted way.

"Secondly, you may only capture the first Pokémon of each area." This rule wasn't as much of a shock, but it certainly made things harder.

"Third, there are no PC storage systems in the Nuzlocke Realm. You may only have a maximum of six Pokémon with you at a time." _Okay, that's fine. I have Venasaur, Blastoise, Charizard, Snorlax, Lapras, and Pikachu. They're good. And they won't…die, right?_

"Fourth, any newly-captured Pokémon must be nicknamed." Random…but okay.

"Now," said the man as his trench coat and hat melted away like the gloves. His skin was deathly pale and shriveled, eyes hollow pools of nothing. His fingers were boney and skin was horrible caved, his ribs profound and stomach horrifyingly narrow. He was the perfect picture of a grotesque zombie. "You may call me Buryman. And now you must all introduce yourselves. Let's start with you two over there."

He pointed to two brown-haired teens standing side by side. "My name is Black," the boy said. "And I'm his sister, White!"

It went around the circle. The next two were named Diamond and Pearl. After that came Ruby and Sapphire. Then Gold, I learned the red-haired boy was named Silver, and a girl named Kris. Lastly was a girl named Leaf, Blue, and then me.

Buryman snapped his fingers as Poketch devices formed around our wrists. "In these Poketches, you may check the status of the others. You are out of the game when your entire team dies." Twelve pictures of each of the competitor's faces showed up. "The faces will be grayed out so you know you're still up against."

We all took a moment with our Poketches, realizing that there were a couple other apps that could check the status of your team, the time, and the date.

"All right," Buryman said with a toothy grin. "Let the games begin."

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><p><strong>Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review telling me what you though. Since this is my first Pokemon fic, I want to know what you think. Was it good? Do you have some constructive criticism?<strong>

**-Dezzi**


	2. Chapter 2

**Due to extreme lack of motovation and support, I haven't updated this in forever. Things start to pick up here, so I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Our Poketches all simultaneously switched to a previously inaccessible app. It displayed a picture of each of the five main regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova.<p>

"You will choose your region," Buryman rasped. "The game's rules do not change but the Pokémon you will meet and gyms you will challenge will differ. Simply tap the picture of the region you would like to go to, and once everyone's decided, you will be transported to your starting point. Good luck." There was something very unnerving about Buryman's smile, so I looked down and instantly tapped the picture of Kanto. This journey was going to be much more difficult than my previous challenges, so it was best to pick the place I knew like the back of my hand.

An electronic 'ping' sounded as I tapped the screen. Once twelve 'pings' rang through the room, a bright yellow aura surrounded each of us, starting at our feet and shooting up. I suddenly felt a force sending my whole body up; it was probably a sensation similar to flying. The only thing I could see was the brilliant light surrounding me as I spiraled and shot forward. And then…nothing.

It was dark. Extremely dark. I started to panic until I realized I merely had my eyes closed. But the darkness had seemed so real…as if it was surrounding me and swallowing me whole.

However, I was…back home. In bed. Pallet Town. Home.

I got out of bed and looked in the mirror; I appeared to be the same age I was when I left Buryman, so I probably didn't go back in time or something crazy like that. …Then again, everything happening made me start doubting what was realistic.

I pulled my backpack off of my chair and looked inside, calling upon my six Pokémon. They each were fine and ready for battle. I began to explain what was happening to each of them. How they needed to battle harder than before because it was a matter of life and death.

"But we're gonna win this," I said. "Then I'll become the Ultimate Master; no one will doubt me!" One by one, I returned them to their Poke Balls. Their expressions were unnerving, though. Charizard seemed…disappointed. I wondered why.

After that, I headed downstairs. "Mom?" I called unsurely as I was assaulted with the smell of baking breakfast.

"Hello, dear," I heard my mother say. Her back was turned to me as she cooked something on the stove. _I wonder if she's aware of what's happening, _I thought. _Was she transported to the Nuzlocke Realm with me?_

She remained very quiet for a bit, the only sound in the room being the clang of metal as a pot simmered over the stove and she stirred whatever she was cooking. My stomach suddenly growled loudly, and I slumped down in a chair in front of the dining table, realizing how desperately hungry I was.

Finally, my mother poured some of whatever she was cooking in a bowl and put it in front of me. "Elbows off the table, dear," she said.

"Right, sorry, Mom," I replied, looking up at her. The second I saw her face, I completely lost it and let out a cry, falling backwards and taking the chair with me. Her eyes… They were completely black.

_This is definitely not my mother, _I thought. _This is probably some sick joke to unnerve the players and nothing more._

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I gulped, stood, and dusted myself off, setting the chair back in place. _She clearly doesn't know that I'm not from this realm. To her, this is just another normal day with her son, Red._ "Nothing. Nothing at all. I, um, thought I saw a Haunter. I had a bad dream last night about one."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," she said, thought I really couldn't detect any concern in her voice. "It's all over now, right?"

"Yep," I quietly replied.

"You should relax, though. You're probably just anxious because you start you journey today."

"Wait…start? What do you mean start? What journey."

"Well today's the day you begin your Pokémon journey, no?"

_No way. I couldn't have to start from the very beginning. All those badges, that hard work and grind training…would it really all go to waste?_

"No!" I yelled, slamming my fists down on the table. Oddly, my mother seemed emotionless watching me as I let my anger out. I kicked at practically nothing in the air; I would have to face all eight gyms again. I was about to get to the Elite Four before all this crap happened! "Everything I'd done to become a master…it doesn't matter!"

My mother cocked her head to the side and said in a monotone voice, "Don't worry. It'll all work out in the end. Buryman knows what he's doing."

Buryman. He lured me into his stupid game and destroyed all my progress. I wished I knew where he was so I could march right up to his stupid face and demand I go back to _my_ Kanto.

Without another word, I stormed out the door. Now Pallet Town is a rather quiet, small town. It's rare for many to be out and about, and even the Nuzlocke Realm was no exception. However, the second I stepped out my front door, I found myself face-to-face with Blue.

"Red," he said, the usual snarkyness in his tone completely gone, "This place is wrong. I don't like it. I mean, have you seen-"

"The eyes?" I finished. Blue merely nodded in response.

"I haven't seen anything else weird, though," I added. "Like, nothing else seems drastically different from the Kanto we've known."

Blue softly murmured something under his breath, so I cupped my hand around my ear and cocked my head towards him. "What's that?" I asked.

"What?" Blue replied. "I didn't say anything."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't play dumb with me," I harshly retorted.

"Gosh, someone's touchy. 'S that because you know I'll beat you and get the wish?" His familiar grin crept back onto his lips.

"Shut _up_, Blue," I snapped. "This place isn't a joke. Battling isn't a game anymore." I turned my back to him and headed to the grass on the outskirts of town.

"Wait!" Blue called. "Maybe we should check in with Gramps before we leave."

"Fine," I replied, following him. "He wasn't at your house?"

"He never is," Blue flatly replied. "No one's ever home, and neither am I. Mom and Dad are way too busy with their research in other regions and Gramps is always locked up in his stupid lab."

"C'mon, Blue. Am _I_ the one who has to tell _you_ to lighten up now?"

Blue frowned and ignored my question. "I wonder what they're doing here in the Nuzlocke Realm…"

We approached Professor Oak's lab and tried the door. It was usually open; the scientists knew my name because of the countless times I annoyed them as a kid, asking to see the new starter Pokémon. When we turned the knob, though, it was locked.

"Maybe we should look in the window," Blue offered. I nodded and looked in, but the room was pitch black. It didn't just look like someone turned off the lights. It appeared that there wasn't even a room in there. Just an endless void of nothing. I backed away.

"Whatever," I muttered. "I'm going to move on. I'll just beat these gyms again and get the hell out of here."

"Wait!" Blue called as I began to head onto Route 1. "Maybe we should make our way to Viridian together. I mean, that's where a gym leader is located. Then I'll leave you be."

"Okay," I replied, thought quite honestly, I was thankful I wasn't going to be alone when I started out this journey. We began heading north towards the gate leading to Viridian.

"Do you think that Giovanni will be the gym leader? Or will he not be there? Because if I have to defeat the entire Team Rocket organization again, I swear I'm going to shoot somebody."

Blue frowned and remained silent before saying, "You don't have to rub it in." Bitterness tinged his tone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-"

"Whatever," he replied.

The next few minutes were agonizing silence. As much as Blue pissed me off for constantly telling me he was better, I did feel bad. His parents were never around and he felt that his own grandfather preferred me over him. It was probably pretty rough to be reminded he'd been upstaged by his rival yet again.

"Red, watch out!" Blue suddenly yelled, snapping me out of my thoughts. A feral, angry Rattata lunged towards me, but I quickly side-stepped it and avoided getting bitten.

"Go, Sandslash!" Blue called, tossing a Poke Ball out. "Use Poison Sting!" In one hit, the Rattata had been blown back and probably had fainted. Blue and I had strong Pokémon, so the early routes' Pokémon wouldn't be a challenge to defeat.

"Thanks, Blue," I said. He didn't reply though. His face was pale white, completely drained of all color. Confused, I turned around towards the Rattata and felt my body go numb.

A pool of blood surrounded its lifeless body.


End file.
